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Monthly Archives: February 2016
February’s Hot Picks!!
Filed under Uncategorized
Magic of the Gargoyles: Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles by Rebecca Chastain (Book Review)
Mika Stillwater is a mid-level earth elemental with ambitions of becoming a quartz artisan, and her hard work is starting to get noticed. But when a panicked baby gargoyle bursts into her studio, insisting Mika is the only person she’ll trust with her desperate mission, Mika’s carefully constructed five-year plan is shattered.
Swept into the gritty criminal underworld of Terra Haven, Mika must jeopardize everything she’s worked so hard for to save the baby gargoyle from the machinations of a monster—and to stay alive…
Swept into the gritty criminal underworld of Terra Haven, Mika must jeopardize everything she’s worked so hard for to save the baby gargoyle from the machinations of a monster—and to stay alive…
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
Who needs a guard dog when you have a gargoyle at your disposal and where can I get one? 🙂
This book was non-stop action and will please the readers who love magical stories. Yes, this book is short but the page count didn’t hinder the quality of the work.
Great job, Rebecca.
FYI: Not kidding about wanting a pet gargoyle. Is there a store for this? Maybe, Gargoyles R Us…. HA!!
Rebecca Chastain is the international bestselling fantasy author of A FISTFUL OF EVIL, A FISTFUL OF FIRE, and MAGIC OF THE GARGOYLES. She has found seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. Dreaming up the absurd and writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old. She lives in northern California with her wonderful husband and two bossy cats.
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Forget Me Not by Maureen L. Bonatch (Book Review)
Genres: New Adult and College, Paranormal Romance
Publisher: The Wild Rose Press
Publication Year: 2016
The car accident totaled Sabrina Post’s convertible and reinvented her memories. She can’t recall dumping Cole Dawson ten years ago. What her new clairvoyant visions tell Sabrina is he’s her husband. Any practical girl would question her sanity. But if Sabrina wants to make this imaginary future a reality, she’ll have to regain Cole’s trust and eliminate her rival, the coffee shop waitress who’s pegged Cole as husband #4. To prove she’s foreseen their destiny, Sabrina stirs Cole’s interest by revealing specifics about him she couldn’t have otherwise known. Unfortunately, the one detail he vividly remembers is the pain when she left him and their “rinky-dink” town in her rearview mirror.
If Cole can’t believe she’s a changed woman, can Sabrina accept the only second chance she has at love exists in her memories?
Excerpt
The boxes of candy hearts Julie forgot spilled across the floor.
Cole hunkered down and gathered the papers. His mouth formed a hard line as he glanced at Sabrina’s leave paperwork with the end date prominently circled. He replaced it on the table under the keys.
“No really, I can do it. You stay, Cole. I’ll be right back.” Sabrina caught her reflection in the mirror on the wall. The quest for a coat resulted in her hair looking as if she’d stuck her finger into an electrical outlet. Her appearance matched her desperation. She ran her hands over her head, but the static filled strands resisted smoothing.
“I need to check on Dad anyway, and it’s on my way. I’ll take Josie.” Cole extended his elbow, and Josie latched on like a lifeline, her fingers digging into the leather of his jacket. She skittered across a few of the remaining candies, crushing Be Mine and Love Me on the floor. “Thanks again for dinner, Marge.”
“Cole wait.” Despair leaked into Sabrina’s plea.
He glanced toward the papers on the table and sighed. “I waited for years, Rena. It’s you who waited too long.”
As the door closed behind him, so did the future with Cole that she’d imagined. Her shoulders fell. She knelt to collect the candy hearts scattered on the floor. Forget Me Not and Hug Me taunted her with their cheerful words. Lacking a garbage bag, she shoved a handful of the candies into her jacket pocket. Several hearts were trodden into tiny pieces, like her own.
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
Many events can alter a person’s views on life; make them reevaluate what’s important. Sabrina’s wreck was the wake-up call she desperately needed. With the head injury, she gained insight into the future and realized love is more important than money.
Luckily for her, she was given a second chance —- in life and in love.
For me, Cole and Sabrina’s short story can be described in one word — SWEET — much like the sweetheart candies that brought them together, again.
HEA, but you already knew that. Hello, it’s a love story and centers around Valentine’s Day so anything less would be scoffed at. 🙂
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤
Maureen writes stories in the beautiful state of Pennsylvania that boast laughter, light suspense and something magical in the hope of sharing her love of finding the extraordinary in the ordinary world. She writes Paranormal Romance and Fantasy.
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The Declutter Code: 10 Simple Steps to Clarity by Yvette Bowlin (Book Review)
Is your household busting at the seams with stuff everywhere? Has confusion and chaos at home and office become the norm? Are you facing anxiety and overwhelm with all the projects on your plate? Do your relationships suffer from all the demands you put on yourself and other people?
That’s all clutter–in mind, body, heart and home.
No matter what you do to clear the clutter from your life, does it always seem to creep back in?
If you’re nodding your head yes to any of these questions, this book is for you.
How do we begin to clean up our clutter? How do we regain clarity and peace? We lost it to overwhelming to-do lists, countless home- and work-life obligations, social media and cell phones. We lost it to keeping up with the Joneses.
So many books obsess over cleaning out drawers and closets to create an organized household, but that’s only scratching the surface of clutter. Those books miss the mark! There’s something else we have to clean first before we can declutter effectively. The mind.
Known to some as the bible for decluttering your life from the inside out, The Declutter Code is a 10-step journey that will transform how you deal with clutter. Using the same process that worked for herself and her clients, Yvette Bowlin walks you through clearing mental clutter like self-sabotage, stress, lies and limiting beliefs. Learn the secret behind your “clutter problem” so you can begin to deeply clear it away! Regain clarity and, quite possibly, your sanity.
Kindle Purchase Link
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
I agree with Yvette that we, as a whole, live a cluttered life. We also have difficulties simplifying our lives. This leads to stress, which leads to unhappiness.
Yvette didn’t necessarily teach me anything new about what causes the “clutter” and how to “declutter” myself. (Sorry Yvette but I have been reading philosophy books since I was 19.
BTW: Love the Lao Tzu quote. He is one of my favorite philosophers.)
BTW: Love the Lao Tzu quote. He is one of my favorite philosophers.)
With that said, I do think she WILL TEACH many others how to quiet the chatter and live a more peaceful, less chaotic life.
Her experiments might come across as challenging for some such as giving up tv, internet, everything, but it can be done.
Also, take her advice and try yoga or mediate. Folks, they really do calm the storm swirling around in our minds.
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤
Yvette Bowlin has always been a student of the mind. It started with her undergraduate and Master’s work in Consumer Psychology and led to her studies of enlightenment and spirituality. Years of research and self-inquiry sent her down the path of discovering the root of our “clutter problem.” Her work has been featured on Huffington Post, Los Angeles Business Journal, several podcast interviews and more.
From observing herself and others, Bowlin has pinpointed the reasons most people keep themselves stuck in sabotage, suffering, struggle and stress. But we don’t have to stay stuck! Clutter stands in the way of peace, presence and clarity.
Bowlin learned the ‘art of hoarding’ early on in childhood, and has since been meticulous about decluttering her life. She’s created a simple process for doing just that, outlined in The Declutter Code: 10 Simple Steps to Clarity. The underlying premise of her book, seminars and speeches is that the most effective way to declutter is from the inside out—starting with the mind!
Also a certified yoga instructor, Bowlin loves to help others come into mind-body awareness to better facilitate deep decluttering. Read more about her at http://declutterist.com.
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A Fistful of Evil & A Fistful of Fire by Rebecca Chastain (2 Book Reviews)
Fistful of Evil: Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer Book 1
Madison Fox just learned that her ability to see souls is more than a sight: It’s a weapon for fighting evil. The only problem is she doesn’t have a clue what she’s doing. On the positive side, her money problems are over, she’s possibly discovered her purpose in life, and her coworker is smoking hot. On the negative side, evil creatures now actively hunt her, and deadly experiences are becoming the norm.
When she thinks it couldn’t get worse, a powerful evil sets up shop at a local hotel’s video game convention, and it’s got its eye on more than the gaming geeks: it is hungry for Madison’s soul. Madison needs to become an expert illuminant enforcer overnight to save her job, her region . . . and her life.
Grab your copy today at Amazon!!
A Fistful of Fire: Madison Fox, Illuminant Enforcer Book 2
Madison Fox survived her first week as California’s newest illuminant enforcer, defending her region against imps, vervet, hounds, and one lascivious demon. If her grumpy boss, Mr. Pitt, was impressed, he hasn’t told Madison. In fact, there’s a lot her boss has been closemouthed about, like the dark secret haunting his past.
But Madison’s problems are just igniting. Neighboring regions report an uncharacteristic flare-up of evil, fire-breathing salamanders blaze unchecked across the city, and Black Friday looms. Trapped doing cleanup amid mobs of holiday shoppers, Madison watches from the sidelines as dubious allies insinuate themselves in her region.
As suspicions kindle and the mysterious evil gains strength, Madison must determine who she can trust—and whose rules to follow—before her region and career go up in flames.
Sizzling with adventure and sparking with magic, A Fistful of Fire is fused with Madison Fox’s trademark blend of humor and ass-kicking action.
Grab your copy today at Amazon!!
(review request submitted by the author for an honest critique)
A Fistful of Evil – Many of us have stories from HELL about our first day at a new job but I don’t think anyone can top Madison’s. She’s been thrust into the world of imps, hounds which aren’t man’s best friend, and one seductive demon.
Her induction into this new career as a illuminant enforcer had loads of comedic moments. After you read how she handled the imps, I think you’ll be laughing right alongside Doris. Her first encounter with a hound (evil dog) was just as funny. How she survived the night was beyond me. I think luck was definitely on her side…….or was that Nico. That man was a tall drink of water and so was Dr. Love. Rose was pretty hot in her own way too. With her looks, smart-mouthed and sassy attitude, Rose can be my “babysitter” any time —- day or night. 😉
Great story, Rebecca!!
A Fistful of Fire – Madison is back, still riding high off her first demon kill. You think that would earn her some brownie points at work, but nope, she’s put on mall duty the day after Thanksgiving. Worse, her assignment was to handle citos aka invisible spiders. So now she has handle crazy-ass bargain hunters and spiders……at least she had an enforcer handbook to educate her about all the creatures inhabiting her region.
Let me tell you a little about this book and why it is so wickedly awesome. It can communicate and not in just one word sentences. It gave itself a name – Val (Valentine), had an attitude, and even created a middle finger on one of its blank pages.
It also provided useful intel when her path crossed with other “beings”: prajurit (fairies), giant human-size salamanders that start fires, wraith, pooka (wooly mammoth that can shift into a Great Dane and a man), and much more.
BTW: All the creatures/beings she encountered were defined in her hand-dandy talking guide aka Val (Valentine).
See what I mean…..WICKED COOL, right?
Heart Rating System – 1 (lowest) and 5 (highest)
Score: ❤❤❤❤
Rebecca Chastain is the international bestselling fantasy author of A FISTFUL OF EVIL, A FISTFUL OF FIRE, and MAGIC OF THE GARGOYLES. She has found seven four-leaf clovers to date, won a purebred Arabian horse in a drawing, and once tamed a blackbird for a day. Dreaming up the absurd and writing stories designed to amuse and entertain has been her passion since she was eleven years old. She lives in northern California with her wonderful husband and two bossy cats.
Website: http://www.rebeccachastain.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rebeccachastainnovels
Twitter: @Author_Rebecca or https://twitter.com/Author_Rebecca
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5660379.Rebecca_Chastain
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